SUMMER ESCAPES England’s best-kept secrets
KIT KEMP
Founder and creative director of Firmdale Hotels and the Kit Kemp Design Studio
What makes England a special place to take a break?
For me, the warmer months are when the UK is at its best – I never go abroad in the summer as I love to explore our beautiful country.
Where in England is your dream escape?
The New Forest in Hampshire, as it combines countryside, the sea and open spaces. It sits just above the Isle of Wight in the Hampshire basin, where the climate is softer and spring comes slightly earlier. I love to ride, and in the Forest you can get close to so much wildlife that doesn’t mind the horse passing by.
Do you have a specific memory of the New Forest?
We rented an old farmhouse in 1992, within walking distance of a stony beach and with views to the Isle of Wight from the upstairs rooms. The house was very old and had a secret passage in the walls, which we think must have been to hide smuggled goods from France, such as brandy or silk. It had a romantic feel that only houses with a history, and a certain stillness in time that comes with age, can attain.
Where is the first place you would most like to visit
